


Will Be All Right

by threewalls



Category: Gokusen (TV), Hanazakari no Kimitachi e - Ikemen Paradise | Hana-Kimi (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Crossover, Drunken Confessions, Gen, Gokusen: The Movie, Inspiration, Mentors, Queer Gen, Queer Themes, Teaching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-31
Updated: 2011-05-31
Packaged: 2017-10-19 23:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/206164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/threewalls/pseuds/threewalls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For anything Yankumi can't personally fix, there's networking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Will Be All Right

Ryu is dreaming.

"It's all right. It'll be all right," Yankumi says.

It's more comforting than anything Ryu's mother has ever said to him, even if the next thing Yankumi does is slap his shoulder hard, jolting Ryu awake and completely at the mercy of his hangover. He swallows what she gives him and allows her to push him into a room that contains a shower. It's not until the cold water hits him that Ryu is awake enough to start cursing himself. And now his clothes are all wet, too.

Ryu graduated yesterday: a ceremony with his teaching diploma, dinner with his parents, and drinks with the Oedo household that started after eleven. To be polite, he had drunk everything that Yankumi poured for him. If Ryu hadn't crashed here last night, he would have wrapped his motorcycle around a streetlamp.

He doesn't remember exactly what he said, once Kuroda-san absented himself and everyone else had passed out, something about the example Yankumi was for him, that she'd shown him that teaching his students was so important that it was worth the sacrifices-- and then, only because Ryu was clearly too drunk to retain any common sense-- that teaching was worth always hiding who you were behind a bright smile, always going home alone.

However, Yankumi's chirped response is still crystal clear in his mind, echoing. "Any girl would be happy to marry into your family, Odagiri."

Ryu had looked at her, flatly, confused, angry at what he was sure was deliberately cheerful misunderstanding in response to the one confession Ryu had decided to let himself have. He couldn't tell his crushes that he _had_ crushes, the way he'd seen Yankumi pull back from mentioning the family she cherished to the objects of her embarrassingly dramatic crushes. Ryu had thought that she would understand.

Yankumi is always telling them that they are her precious students. Ryu didn't believe that when he graduated, wanted to but didn't; he does now. Ryu's seen more of Takeba, Tsucchi and Hyuga in the weeks since he finished his practical at Akadou than the four years since high school graduation. Yankumi teases them all, about their jobs, about the girls they're dating, news about other old classmates, her enthusiasm encouraging them to seek out every last high school connection. All except one. (Not that Ryu knows where _he_ is, even if she did ask.) Yankumi knew. About Ryu. She had to.

But luckily, before Ryu could dig himself a deeper grave, Tatsukawa had woke up enough to stumble out into the garden before loudly throwing up. The way Ryu's head feels, throbbing only slightly dulled by the thud of the shower-spray, he can't decide whether he wishes he had, too.

Ryu tries to apologise, obliquely, over lunch. But Yankumi waves away all of his subtle "I hope I didn't say anything weird while drunk," keeps telling him it's fine, it'll be ok, us teachers have to stick together. Ryu expects that sentiment to make his lunch rise, but actually it makes him feel good. Whatever else, he's a teacher now. He can make someone else's high school experience suck a little less than his did.

Yankumi's phone beeps once while he's eating. Not a catastrophe, apparently, because Yankumi grins, making a fist-bump, and puts the phone away. And then she invites him back the following weekend, pretending that she is in any way subtle.

Ryu doesn't say no.

\---

The man's hair is spiked high a little too noticeably with product, the top two buttons of the his shirt undone. The colours he's wearing are too sober for yakusa punk (and he looks a bit old), which should mean playboy, except that Yankumi isn't falling all over herself to impress him. They sound like old friends.

Ryu bows when they notice him, apologises for interrupting.

"This is Umeda-sensei of Ohsaka Gakuen, their school doctor," Yankumi says. "And this is my precious kouhai, Odagiri-sensei. Please take care of him."

"Oh, it will be my pleasure..." Umeda saying, looking Ryu up and down.

Umeda's a playboy, all right, but not the type Ryu had thought. Ryu isn't interested, doesn't think Umeda is, either, not really, but Ryu finds himself touching his hair, suddenly very aware of the mess his motorcycle helmet makes of it. It's nice to be noticed. It's... rare that Ryu's relaxed enough to let himself notice being noticed.

Yankumi pouts and slaps Umeda on the shoulder. Ryu winces in sympathy, hiding a smile, until he realises that he doesn't have to.

"Umeda-sensei and I met at a continuing teacher's education seminar," Yankumi says.

"Bullying," Umeda-sensei adds, accentuating the syllables like it's a codeword, something specific he expects Ryu to recognise.

Everyone's heard of Ohsaka Gakuen, their reputation for, well, beautiful boys. And they have a teacher like _this_ , like him. All Ryu's fears say this shouldn't be possible; the angel on his shoulder says "work hard, dream big." It sounds a lot like Yankumi.

"It can be a problem in schools," Ryu says, carefully, smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

"Mm. And not just in schools."

"Oh! Look at the time!" Yankumi interrupts. "What to do with a girl like me, I'm so scatterbrained! I have to go pick up my grandfather from the airport. He's flying in from Kyoto. I'm so sorry. So sorry. Odagiri, please can you look after my guest?"

It's such a clear performance, but with the sparkle in her eye, Ryu can't be angry as he agrees, as Yankumi toes on her shoes, running out the door, waving. Ryu's too grateful. There are questions he has for Umeda that he can't ask in front of her, but Yankumi's exactly the sort of teacher Ryu wants to be.

**Author's Note:**

> You can comment (or hit the "kudos" button!) below, or comment at my [Dreamwidth](http://threewalls.dreamwidth.org/131802.html?mode=reply) or [Livejournal](http://threewalls.livejournal.com/342377.html?mode=reply&format=light).


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